The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC), the Attorney-General and the Inspector-General of Police must respond to the public demands by environmental groups and activisits from Malaysia, Europe and Australia for the arrest and criminal prosecution of Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and his 13 family members for massive graft and plundering of Sarawak’s rich natural resources.

Seventeen non-government organisations and activists, including Greenpeace, the Swiss-based Bruno Manser, Europe-based forest advocate group FERN, the Borneo Resources Institute and the Japan Tropical Forest Action Network, today released a letter to the MACC, the Attorney-General and the Inspector-General of Police urging the immediate arrest of Taib, alleging crimes including illegal appropriation of public funds and land, abuse of office, fraud, money-laundering “and conspiracy to form a criminal organisation”.

The 10-page letter includes 16 exhibits that document the accusations against the Taib and his immediate family members, alleging that they have a stake in 332 Malaysian and 85 foreign companies worth several billion US dollars.

The letter which alleged Taib family stakes in 14 large Malaysian companies alone exceed RM4.6 billion or US$1.46 b illion, said:

“We allege that only the systematic breach of the law and the use of illegal methods has enabled Taib and his family members to acquire such massive corporate assets.”

The NGOs said immediate arrests were needed to prevent the accused destroying evidence.

The signatores reminded the Malaysian authorities that Malaysia, as a signatory to the UN Convention against corruption and the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, has “a strong international obligation to fight corruption and organised crime in an efficient, timely and expedient manner”.

The letter concluded: “We are thus asking you, Gentlemen, to fulfill your duty as leading prosecuting officials of Malaysia and take immediate action against Abdul Taib Mahmud and his 13 co-conspiring family members.

“Malaysia’s international credibility is at stake over the Taib’s case.”

Although the Dewan Rakyat has been adjourned, the Senate is currently in session. The unprecedented international and national joint charges against the Sarawak Chief Minister for being guilty of heinous crimes warrants Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak making a special appearance in the Dewan Negara to give a Prime Ministerial statement on the status of investigations which had been conducted by the various enforcment agencies against Taib to date.

As Chairman of Barisan Nasional, he should also declare whether in view of the very serious allegations made by the battery of prestigious international and national environmental groups and activists, he would ask Taib to step as Sarawak Chief Minister until Taib has fully cleared himself of the allegations.